The goalkeeper Keylor Navas announced this Thursday his retirement from the national team Costa Rica after playing more than 100 international matches and three World Cups, and thanked his teammates and fans for the support they gave him during his career. “It’s a bitter feeling, hard to assimilate. This phase of my life with the national team is over,” said the former goalkeeper of Real Madrid and PSG in a video published on his social networks.
Navas, 37, retired from Costa Rica’s national team days before the start of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and the Copa América. “This chapter of my life, full of challenges, defeats and victories, comes to an end. I leave with a heart full of gratitude and my eyes hopeful, always carrying the name of our beloved Costa Rica, a country small in territory, but big in heart,” he said.
The goalkeeper, winner of 3 Champions Leagues with Real Madrid and who just finished his contract with French club PSG, said that he has fulfilled many of his dreams since he was young and that he achieved them by “persevering, fighting with love and determination.” “More than 16 years ago, God gave me the opportunity to defend the goal of Costa Rica for the first time, a day I will never forget. Since then, every moment with the national team has been a dream come true, Navas said.
The goalkeeper, considered by many to be the best footballer in the history of Costa Rica, played in the 2014 Brazil, 2018 Russia and Qatar 2022 World Cups, and during his career he accumulated 114 games for the national team. Navas was a key part for Costa Rica to reach the quarterfinals for the first time at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, a tournament where the team topped the group after defeating Italy (1-0), Uruguay (3-1) . and draw England goalless.
In March he hinted at his possible departure
In the round of 16, Costa Rica drew 1-1 with Greece but advanced to the quarterfinals on penalties where they faced the Netherlands, where they lost on penalties after drawing 0-0 on a good day for Navas. “I feel incredibly lucky and privileged,” said the goalkeeper before thanking all his coaches, teammates, his family and fans.
Navas assured that he brings “unforgettable joy and memories” and stressed that the team managed to “raise the name of Costa Rica to the highest” in front of “the best players in the world.” Last March, after the FIFA matchday matches that month, the goalkeeper left his future with the national team, because he did not answer the questions of the journalists about his continuation with the national team.
The footballer, whose next club for next season is not yet known, is in the plans of the Costa Rica coach, the Argentine Gustavo Alfaro, for the start of the 2026 World Cup qualifier and for the Copa América next month. “We are counting on him and we hope that he will come to the country after completing his commitments in Paris. He has two games in the league and the Cup final. For us it is important that he can be with us in the qualifying matches and in the Copa América,” declared on May 13 the sports director of the Costa Rican Football Federation, Claudio Vivas.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
